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Occupational Therapy (MSOT) Program
The Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy is a professional degree program that prepares students academically and professionally for responsibilities and services as an occupational therapist.
The Occupational Therapy program educates students as generalist practitioners, in accordance with the requirements of the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).
Occupational therapists provide holistic and client-centered care in a number of settings, including inpatient and outpatient clinics, hospitals, schools, and community-based mental health programs. OTs build and utilize skills specific to the setting and client population served. For this reason, Occupational Therapy students will gain knowledge and entry-level competencies across all settings and with all ages so that they are prepared for employment in any area of practice.
Our program is fully accredited by ACOTE
The entry-level Occupational Therapy master’s degree program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its web address is www.acoteonline.org.
The faculty and staff of St. Bonaventure University, the DePerro School of Health Professions, and the MSOT program are dedicated to promoting and ensuring positive student outcomes.
Outcome data (number of graduates, retention rate, graduation rate, NBCOT exam results) are updated annually in mid-spring. NBCOT exam results are also available at the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy website: http://www.nbcot.org/Educators-Folder/SchoolPerformance.
Graduation Year | Number of Students Graduating | Graduation Rate | Retention Rate | NBCOT Exam Results |
2023 (entered 2021) | *15 by May 2023 *16 by Dec. 2023 | *83% *88% | 94% | 100% |
2024 (entered 2022) | In Progress | In Progress | 100% | X |
2025 (entered 2023) | In Progress | X | X | X |
3-year total | In Progress | X | X | X |
* The first cohort of MSOT students graduated in 2023.
Graduates of the program are eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT).
After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an occupational therapist, registered (OTR). In addition, all states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are typically based on the results of the NBCOT Certification
Examination.
Note: A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.
Earn your MSOT in 23 consecutive months
The program includes a summer semester of fully online courses and technology requirements for face-to-face online learning.
Students can complete the program in 5+ consecutive semesters. This includes one (1) summer session that is completely online and a semester off campus (the final semester) during which students complete Level II fieldwork requirements.
Three of the courses within the summer semester are delivered as 100% online courses. These courses (9 credits total) make up 12.3 % of the total credits required to complete the program. Please see our
Curriculum & Courses page for more information.
Admitted students are expected to have technology that will support face-to-face and online learning, reliable internet access, and a webcam. For details, please see "Technology requirements for distance learning" on our
Admission Criteria page.
Why choose OT? Why a master's, not a doctorate?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of occupational therapists is projected to grow 12% from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations. The median annual wage for occupational therapists with a master's degree was $93,180 in 2022.
According to CNBC in 2019, OT was included in the top 5 of
the 11 most meaningful college majors and how much they pay.
And there are a number of sound reasons, from cost to time, for choosing to pursue a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy over the Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree. Click on the plus sign below for a review of why the MSOT may be the right choice for you.
Cost/value
- Same expected entry-level salary regardless of degree path: master’s (MSOT) or doctorate (OTD).
- Reduced level of student loan debt
- Increased lifetime salary and benefits due to earlier entry into practice
Time
- Completion of your degree at least one year sooner.
- The accrediting body for Occupational Therapy programs has mandated that master’s degree programs must be designed to be completed in no more than two years and doctorate programs must be designed to be completed in no more than three to four
years.
Entry-level readiness
- Same clinical skills developed regardless of degree path.
- The salary is the same for all entry-level occupational therapists regardless of degree.
Potential for transition to doctoral degree
- Entry-level OTs with an MSOT degree explore areas of interest, opportunities, and career paths within their first years of practice. This allows them to make informed decisions about their pursuit of a doctorate.
- OTs may choose a post-professional OTD to strengthen and advance their clinical skills in their area of interest, or pursue a research degree (Ph.D., Ed.D., etc.) to advance their careers in research and/or teaching.
- This time ensures that the resources invested in a doctorate align with each individual’s career goals and passions.
Learn in modern state-of-the-art surroundings
The OT program is part of the Dennis R. DePerro School of Health Professions, which is located in Francis Hall, one of the most iconic buildings on campus. A comprehensive $18 million renovation project in 2020-2021 created a new, modern home for OT and other DePerro School programs.
A comfortable and welcoming space for students, Francis Hall boasts state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, from high-tech classrooms and labs to exam rooms, group study spaces, student breakout rooms and other modern amenities.
iBona Initiative: Apple-certified faculty & student iPads
Instructors in the Occupational Therapy program have earned Apple Teacher Certification as part of their commitment to utilize Apple iPads to enhance the learning experience for students. It's part of the program's iBona initiative.
Learn more.
Department mission, philosophy & expectations
Our mission is to advance the health and well-being of society through the preparation of highly skilled occupational therapists, and through scholarship to discover, evaluate, and implement new knowledge to improve models of practice and methods of intervention in both our local rural context and globally.
We will accomplish our mission by:
- educating and preparing students to become practitioners who function effectively and efficiently in a rapidly changing, culturally diverse, multidisciplinary health care environment;
- conducting research directed toward generating new knowledge and understanding to improve occupational therapy practice;
- developing researchers and scientists to create new knowledge and understanding, which will enhance treatment and practice;
- developing new and strengthening existing collaborative relationships with health care providers, private sector industries and other organizations which enrich student learning, support current research, and improve the design and delivery of occupational
therapy services;
- disseminating new knowledge and understanding to occupational therapy practitioners, other healthcare providers and organizations committed to improving life conditions for clients and their families;
- disseminating knowledge about disability and rehabilitation to promote overall health and well-being within the local rural and global community; and
- influencing health policy to improve overall individual and community health and well-being.
Our work is guided by our belief that:
Health is a global concern that impacts communities and populations, not only individual well-being, and thus the Occupational Therapy program must embrace a global perspective in its education and training
of future practitioners and scholars;
Individuals live their lives in diverse sociopolitical, economic and cultural environments, and thus the Occupational Therapy program must prepare practitioners with the knowledge, capacity and confidence
to meet the needs of diverse communities at the level of individual therapeutic interactions and community-level interventions alike;
Major changes in society have been brought by new computing and information technologies that must be
used as tools, in tandem with problem-solving and clinical reasoning skills, in an effort to address occupational problems that impede function in everyday life; and
Changes in the world impact the rehabilitation professions and occupational
therapy practice, and thus the Occupational Therapy curriculum must prepare its graduates to step beyond the role of clinician, to assume a variety of leadership roles in clinical practice, scholarship, and teaching, as well as in the profession,
community and government.
Our expectation is that SBU Occupational Therapy graduates will be known for their commitment to and demonstration of the following:
- Practice that is holistic and client-centered, as well as evidence- and occupation-based;
- Advanced skills in clinical reasoning, assessment and intervention;
- Leadership, advocacy and professional innovation and compassion;
- Lifelong learning; and
- Professional and ethical behavior.
Our expectation is that St. Bonaventure University Occupational Therapy graduates will be known for their commitment to and demonstration of our Franciscan Values through:
- practice that is holistic and client-centered, as well as evidence- and occupation-based
- advanced skills in clinical reasoning, assessment and intervention
- leadership, advocacy and professional innovation
- lifelong learning
- professional and ethical behavior
Nov 12, 2024 | Swagata Banik, Ph.D., has been named the new dean of the Dennis R. DePerro School of Health Professions at St. Bonaventure University.
Nov 08, 2024 | Darla Kent, assistant professor and Occupational Therapy program director, was honored at Jamestown Community College Foundation's Annual Awards Gala, held Nov. 6 at Chautauqua Harbor Hotel.
Nov 08, 2024 | Dr. Charles Olomofe, visiting assistant professor of Public Health, was a panelist at the American Public Health Association (APHA) Conference 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he presented a research paper titled "Exploring the predictors of COVID-19 vaccination uptake among people living with HIV/AIDS in Tennessee: A statewide analysis of data."